A 16-year-old boy was found dead while pinned under a coconut tree in Sogod, Cebu on Thursday morning, September 21,2023. | Contributed photo via Paul Lauro
CEBU CITY, Philippines – A 16-year-old boy was killed after he was crushed to death by a coconut tree that was allegedly hit by lightning in Barangay Ampongol, Sogod town, northern Cebu on Wednesday evening, September 20, 2023.
Police Senior Master Sergeant Jerome Quimque, desk officer at the Sogod Police Station, identified the victim as James Marvie Brigoli Apor, 16, a resident of the barangay.
The victim’s aunt, Kathleen Jane Brigoli Momo, said that at around 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, Marvie asked permission from his grandmother to go out to deliver something to a neighbor’s house.
The victim’s grandmother allegedly tried to stop the boy from leaving the house, saying that it was too dangerous to go out late at night because of the heavy rain and thunder.
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However, the teenage decided to ignore his grandmother’s warnings and left the house anyway.
The aunt also said that Marvie was able to walk around one kilometer from their residence through a secluded area where there are a lot of trees before the accident took place.
Quimque told CDN Digital in a phone interview that the boy was on his way home when the accident took place.
The victim’s family believes that the coconut tree could have been hit by lightning at the time of the incident, which caused it to suddenly fall down.
They also believe that Marvie may have been passing directly by chance and was unfortunately crushed by the fallen tree, which ultimately caused his death.
The body of the victim was discovered on the morning of Thursday, September 21, by a neighbor who was passing by the place where the incident happened.
Quimque stated that at around 9:40 a.m., they received a call about the alleged incident and officers immediately proceeded to the scene to respond to the report.
He added that along with police personnel, members of the medical team were also present.
Upon their arrival, the responding personnel saw the victim pinned by the tree and members of the medical team pronounced Marvie dead, according to Quimque.
The town of Sogod is located approximately 60 kilometers north of Cebu City.
/bmjo